Milling & Baking News - June 20, 2017 - 7

Editorial

Less 'black and white' in eating bread
ust in case American executives in grain-based marketing. Similarly, promotion of whole grain prodfoods may feel they are the only ones suffering un- ucts as superior to enriched products is easier to say
fair, outrageous attacks on the nutrition provided than to prove, while affecting consumption.
by their products, it should be assuring to know that
All too often such assertions, making one category
this experience is shared with their counterparts in black and the other white, reflect what is described
other advanced nations. Indeed, in the United States as scientific findings revealing the health-related outas well as in Europe and Australia the cacophony from comes of eating patterns covered by giant databases.
self-proclaimed food experts has become damaging These studies fail to acknowledge how problematic it
enough to prompt moves by individual companies is to capture the diets of specific groups directed to
and national organizations aimed at showing just how follow particular patterns. Individual records of conwrong such assaults are. Yet, these responses lack the sumption frequently show little or no accuracy. Such
power needed to restore consumer appreciation for the difficulties have culminated in one leading authority
many benefits derived from wheat flour and bread.
declaring that any desired outcome may be had from
Recently cited as one of the brakes acting as choke examining such data.
on the industry's response is
Even with all these doubts
Watching how consumption is
belief that the great nutritional
about the quality of data obaffected not just by scientificallyvalue of grain-based foods
tained from undertaking such
approved nutrition studies but also
has been proven by studies
studies, their results are being
conducted in the distant past.
by semi-professional findings and
cited in diet recommendations
Indeed, the start of the enrich- biased promotions offers convincing put forward by Harvard's T.H.
ment program for flour and
Chan School of Public Health
evidence of what is at work.
bread came in America in 1941
as well as in deliberations leadwhen it was realized that these products offered the ing to the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans
perfect channel for health gains at a time of encroach- released at the start of 2016. Recommendations that
ing war. Enrichment with iron and B vitamins became half of grain-based foods consumed should be whole
a program deserving of government mandates when grains as well as urging any effort to eat less should
human tests conducted in isolated areas like Canadi- mean less "refined grains" stands as the last straw for
an Newfoundland showed how eating enriched bread all those caring about enriched flour and bread.
markedly bettered health of children and adults. So
Reacting to this dismal situation led to the realconvincing were results measuring the benefits of ity that studies comparing the two sorts of flour are
fortified flour that enrichment quickly gained global lacking. As noted on this page last August, the Grain
acceptance.
Foods Foundation, which is supported by the grainThat studies conducted 75 years ago no longer car- based foods industry, did a fine study happily showry the same power should not be surprising in light ing that people consuming all sorts of grain-based
of the way modern-day youth are influenced by the foods benefit much better from their diets than those
newest findings about what is best to eat. Watching who consume no grain-based foods. Especially imhow consumption is affected not just by scientifi- portant is this study's finding that efforts to paint
cally-approved nutrition studies but also by semi- whole grain versus enriched flour and bread is "too
professional findings and biased promotions offers black and white," that it would be far better to urge
convincing evidence of what is at work. No better consumption of all grain-based foods rather than
example of this exists than the decreases in per cap- two categories emphasizing one. Additional studies
ita wheat flour consumption occurring in the United are needed to provide a persuasive base for this apStates in the first decade of the 21st century, which proach. Its adoption would do much for grain-based
may be traced to anti-carbohydrate propaganda and foods and all consumers. MBN
MORTON SOSLAND, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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